We read books about bears during Toddler Storytime this week. We met Ted E. Bear, sang songs, had fun with action rhymes, shared a flannel game, story & song and watched a brief video.
We also learned that the word Bear begins with the letter B and we discovered a few other things that begin with the letter B: Bunny, Baby, Bird and Boy!
Books We Shared
Fun FACT:
The game Peek-a-boo is a an infant version of hide and seek. In the game, the older player hides his face, pops back into the baby’s view and says-to the baby’s amusement – Peekaboo! I see you! Since the infant does not have object permanence, meaning that in a literal way, the infant’s brain processes information such that out of sight means out of mind, when the older player covers his face, then the baby believes the player has gone away. The joy in seeing the face return comes from the relief that the separation ended. Turning the anxiety of separation into a game of joy is a form of mastery. In other words, instead of the baby crying when the adult leaves the room, the baby is now laughing because despite his fears, the adult has reappeared. Peek-a-boo is played over and over again. The repetition is comforting. Psychology Today
Books We Shared
In Kimberly Gee’s picture book, Mad, Mad Bear! we meet a little bear who is pretty upset that he has to leave the park before everyone else! To make matters worse, he falls on the way home and gets an owie. He also has to leave his favorite boots and stick outside AND IT IS JUST TOO MUCH! Bear GETS SO MAD that he has a huge tantrum. Eventually though, he takes a breath, than another breath and then another until he finally calms down. After a bite to eat and a nap, he wakes up feeling much better. The toddlers in storytime were riveted by this story; could it be that they were relating to Bear’s overwhelming feelings?
In Bear & Hare, Where’s Bear? by Emily Gravett we have two friends – Bear and a Hare – taking turns playing hide and seek. Things get scary when Bear can’t seem to find Hare and then Hare can’t seem to find Bear! They do find each other at the very end and hug it out! A great book to teach counting and anticipation.
Children love to play hide and seek just like Bear and Hare in our story. Thought you might enjoy this cute clip of a little boy playing hid and seek with a baby gorilla!
Flannel Boards We Shared
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
We used flannel pieces to share Bill Martin’s classic book Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do You See? The book is cumulative with each animal seeing the next animal until we get to the goldfish! Our adapted version was slightly different from the book because our goldfish sees all of the children attending storytime!
Where is Bear??
Guessing Game
Where’s Bear, where’s bear
Will we find him at the Zoo?
No!
We had to guess where Bear was hiding! We looked under every rug until we found him hiding under the blue rug! Before we found Bear, we found Bunny hiding behind the green rug.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
We used our storytime glove to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider! Watch the video below and sing the song at home with your toddler!
Action Songs & Rhymes
We share a lot of songs & rhymes during storytime! Below you’ll find lyrics/words to the songs & rhymes we share.
Here are video performances of two action songs we share during our toddler storytime: “One, Two, Three, Whee!” and “I Know a Chicken.”
Welcome, Welcome Everyone (to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle)
Welcome, welcome everyone,
Now we’re here let’s have some fun!
First we clap our hands just so,
Then we bend and touch our toes.
Welcome, welcome everyone,
Now we’re here let’s have some fun!
Clap Everybody and Say Hello! (see “CDs section” below to find this song in our CD collection)
Clap everybody and say hello, clap everybody and say hello, clap everybody and say hello, no matter what the weather
Stamp everybody… (stamp feet)
Wiggle everybody… (wiggle your body)
Jump everybody… (jump up and down)
Sing everybody… (open arms wide)
Roll Your Hands (see “CDs section” below to find this song in our CD collection)
Roll, roll, roll your hands as fast as fast can be! (roll hands)
Do it now, let me see, do it now with me.
Clap, clap, clap your hands as loud as loud can be! (clap hands)
Do it now, let me see, do it now with me.
Tap, tap, tap your feet as softly as can be! (quietly tap feet)
Do it now, let me see, do it now with me.
Shake, shake, shake your feet as quickly as can be! (quickly shake feet onto the ground)
Do it now, let me see, do it now with me.
Roll, roll, roll your hands as fast as fast can be! (roll hands)
Do it now, let me see, do it now with me. (keep rolling until the end of the song)
Two Little Eyes fingerplay rhyme)
Two little eyes to look around (point to eyes)
Two little ears to hear a sound (point to ears)
One little nose to smell what’s sweet (point to nose)
One little mouth that likes to eat! (point to mouth)
Open, shut them, open, shut them, (open and close hands)
Give a little clap, clap, clap. (clap three times)
Open shut them, open shut them (open and close hands)
Put them in your lap, lap, lap. (place hands in lap and bounce them 3X)
Creep them, crawl them, creep them crawl them, (crawl fingers up arms)
Right up to your chinny, chin chin (place fingers on chin)
Open up your little mouth (open mouth and say ahhhhhh)
But do not put them in!! (put hands behind your back)
This is Big
This is big, big, big (stretch hands far to sides)
This is small, small, small (cup hands together)
This is short, short, short (hold palms close vertically)
This is tall, tall, tall (hold palms far apart vertically)
This is fast, fast, fast (roll hands quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow (roll hands slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes (nod head)
This is no, no, no (shake head)
Credit: Mel’s Desk
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star– Video: Twinkle Twinkle
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle Twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray.
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you
And I love you more every day.
Goodbye Friends (in sign) – Video: Goodbye Friends
Goodbye friends, goodbye friends,
Goodbye friends, it’s time to say goodbye.
Music from CDs We Shared
Children love to sing and dance to music. Here are some of the action songs & rhymes on CD that we used in storytime. Click onto the CD titles to find these items in our library catalog.
“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel
“Roll Your Hands” from Toddlers on Parade by Kathy Reid-Naiman
“I’m a Little Teapot” from Toddler Favorites by Music for Little People
“Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Its Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel
“ABC” from Go Baby Go! Baby Loves Jazz by Baby Loves Jazz Band
“Two Little Blackbirds” from Circle Time: songs and rhymes for the very young by Lisa Monet
“We’re Going to the Market” from I Love to Hear the Sounds by Kathy Reid-Naiman
“Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes” from Its Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel
“I know a Chicken” from Whaddya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner
“Sing” from Shining Like a Star by Laura Doherty
“Time to Say Goodbye” from Shining Like a Star by Laura Doherty
Video
So Smart! Pets